Muslim rebels target Christian missionary school in Kashmir; blast kills 2, injures 50

Srinagar – Fifty people were severely wounded and two killed when suspected Muslim rebels detonated a grenade on Thursday, May 12, as children were leaving a Christian missionary school in Kashmir, according to Reuters.

Among those injured were 20 students. The two people killed were both women, police authorities confirmed.
The explosion that took place late in the afternoon rocked the neighborhood and when the dust settled, distraught parents could be seen searching for their loved ones amidst pools of blood.

Separatist rebels have been waging a 15–year–old war with the Indian army, protesting against misrule and demanding independence.

"The grenade exploded as the schoolchildren were coming out of the gate of the school as it closed for the day," a police officer told Reuters.

Bloodstained school bags lay near the school gates. Bystanders and police carried the wounded high school pupils to police vehicles that whisked them away to hospitals.

"There was a deafening sound and, after a moment, I saw many people lying down. I grabbed my children and ran for safety," Bilal Ahmad, a father of two pupils at the school, recalled.

"Two unidentified women succumbed to their injuries in the hospital," hospital official Showkat Ahmad said.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Violence has escalated in Kashmir, the cause of two of the three India–Pakistan wars, despite an 18–month–old peace process between the two nuclear–armed neighbours and intensified counter–insurgency operations by Indian troops.

Many believe that this attack is aimed at putting a spanner in the peace process initiated by the two nations last month.